On New Yearâ€™s Eve 2012, my back went out. It was diagnosed as a bulging disc. In the beginning, I could barely move. My physician prescribed Oxycodone, as well as physical therapy. During the last year I had three spinal injections, as well as treatments from a chiropractor, a physical therapist, an acupuncturist, and a massage therapist.

I am now off of Oxycodone. My doctor prescribed a step-down medication to get me off of my final dose of half a pill a day. My pain has decreased enough to be hopeful for the future.

My perspective is that those in the medical industry, specifically family physicians, are poorly trained and ill-equipped to deal with chronic pain. Perhaps there should be less judgment and more understanding, as well as recommendations for alternative treatments for pain.

Faith Steury, Thornton

This letter was published in the Feb. 8 edition.

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Thank you, Ms. Steury,
Your comments were cogent and helpful. Your last paragraph is spot on. But when the drug warriors go on the warpath against any physician who tries to use narcotic drugs as part of a balanced pain management program, or physicians who want to use potential alternatives like pot, it may be difficult for a physician to learn proper approaches.
My mom and dad were on morphine during the last days of their lives.
Using narcotic drugs for pain relief seems to involve a different dynamic than using narcotic drugs for a high.
Plus, if someone is terminally ill, and they use potentially addicting drugs for pain relief, what’s the worse that’ll happen? That they die?

toohip

I really don’t understand your point, peter. My mom was on morphine during her “last days” and I was grateful for it. She was dying of liver cancer, from years of smoking that metastasized into her liver. Nicotine was an extremely addiction to her and she fought it for over 5-6 years before her death when she started getting spots on her lungs. I remember in her final “months” we wouldn’t let her smoke. . because. . some how the treatment must continue. . even if your’ dying. I see that now as wrong. It wouldn’t of hurried her death, but merely provided some temporary comfort in her last days. Same with the morphine.

While this is different than non-terminal patients like Ms. Steury, it is the natural living person, that we want to steer away from uber-addictive drugs like Oxycontin. But if physical therapy and standard pain medicine isn’t working, what’s a physician to do? Say “buck it up/suck it up” ? I’ve heard stories of many people with diseases and ailments that are incurable and extremely debilitating. If a loved one you want them pain-free even if the ONLY solution is an addictive drug. Sometimes we’re too driven by our moral values of what others should be doing as to treatment for pain, and second guess medical professionals. . but sometimes we should!

Dave52

Lets not forget that the maker of Oxycontin, Perdue, long held the record for corporate fines, $600 million, and the prez, top attorney, and chief Medical officer all pleaded guilty as individuals to misbranding charges, a criminal violation, and agreed to pay a total of $34.5 million in fines. Others were convicted of felonies.

Your American Medical system at work. USA!! USA!! USA!!

There was something about the new explosion of heroin addicts being old Oxycontin users. The heroin is cheaper and more easily available than the Oxycontin.

guesswhodrews

I thought I was following you until the last paragraph. It sounds like you were down (what else is new) on private drug companies, but then admit that abusing their drugs is more difficult than street drugs.

Dave52

Following the massive law suit, where Perdue was lying to doctors all over the country about how oxycontin was non-addicitve when they knew fully well it was very addictive, the company has tightened up its act. They’ve reformulated the medicine making it harder to snort or something. As well, they’ve cracked down where ever possible on doctor shopping and charged doctors who prescribe the stuff hand over fist with little more than an “It hurts a bunch” complaint. All in all, its harder to get.

Heroin, however, is easy to get and cheaper than black market oxycontin. Now, instead of the inner-city people who are the addicts, its very often suburban folks who were addicted to oxycontin.

I really don’t understand this letter writer’s point. She never suggested he was addicted to Oxycontin, just a description of her treatment. The fact her doctor had to “step down” suggests how addictive it is, but not if blaming the doctor is what the problem is here. If the pain is so intense and all therapy isn’t working, it seems natural for the doctor to prescribe a serious pain medication. Not a doctor so not going to question if this was the correct prescription, but Ms Steury needs to question her doctor as to the need for Oxycontin. Clearly many doctors prescribe very serious drugs way to quickly before trying other treatments, but many times it’s to please the patient while at the same time provide comfort and ease pain. The drug industry is willing to provide what ever the medical and patient community demands. But they seem to be pushing the medical community to prescribe their product. Seems the problem of addicting drugs as many culprits. . and a informed patient could be one of them.

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